Massage instrument



Aug. 10 1926.

R. H. VAN SANT MASSAGE INSTRUMENT Original Filed y 1. 1922 ,Ebberi fl Vin Jani- Patented Au 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES V 1,595,328 PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. VAN SANT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VAN ESS LABORATORIES,

INC., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

, massaon msrnmur.

Uriglnal application illed May 1, 1922. Serial No. 557,599. Divided and this application filed December 22. 1925. Serial 1T0. 78,962.

This invention relates to a massage instrument of the sort described in my application for patent Serial No. 419,161, filed October 25, 1920. and is a division of another application filed by me May 1, 1922, Serial No. 557,539.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage instrument of the sort described in which there will be little danger of hair being caught between the rubber cap and the bottle during massaging of the scalp.

It is a further object of this invention to prevent the contents of the bottle from getting into the threads between the bottle and its cap.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a cap that shall have little tendency to bulge under the pressure of the contents.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view showing the way of handling the massage instrument.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the instrument.

Figure 3 is a side elevation.

Figure 4 is a top plan view.

Figure 5 is a section through the closure.

As shown on the drawings:

The instrument consists of a pearshaped bottle 1 of convenient size readily to be grasped by the hand, as shown in Figure 1. The preferable way of manipulating the bottle in use is to grasp the neck of the bottle between the thumb and two fingers, as shown at 2, and to rest the other two fingers on the bottom of the bottle, as shown at 3. In order to make sure that the fingers have a good. grip on the bottom of the bottle, it is supplied with a number of ridges 4, preferably circular.

The mouth of the bottle is smaller than the bottom and the sides converge toward the month. At the mouth, the bottle is cylindrical, the outside of the cylindrical part being provided with screw threads 5. Below the screw threads is a flange 6, the upper surface of which is beveled toward the cylindrical part of the bottle, and the lower surface of which meets the conical surface of the bottle at a gentle angle.

The closure for the bottle is of rubber. The hardness of this rubber must be rightly chosen. It should possess sufiicient stifiness to .be screwed onto the screw threads 5 and yet be sufliciently flexible to be'pushcd on over these threads. The closure consists of a cap 7 having a cover and a depending skirt. the interior of which has screw threads 8 to cooperate with the screw threads 5. As just pointed out, the threads 8 can be forced past the threads 5 to bring the closure into position on the bottle, but when the closure is given a twisting movement there is suflicient stiffness in the threads 8 to enable them to coact with the threads 5 to bring the closure into tight contact. If, however. the twisting is carried toofar, the threads 8 will yield and slip over the threads 5, and the. threads 8 are flexible enough thus to slip without injury. The lower edge of the skirt 9 contacts with the beveled flange 6 to make a firm closure between the cap and the bottle. The lower edge of the skirt is shownas flat, but, if desired, it may be beveled to fit closely against the bevel of the flange 6. In the form illustrated, however, the fit is sufiiciently close to prevent hair being caught between the rubber and the glass.

The top of the cap is flat, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, but the inner side is convex, as shown at 10. This convexity helps to prevent the cap from bulging outward under the pressure of the contents of the bottle when it is turned up-side-down for use. A flange 11 projects from the inner face of the cover and is intended to contact with the inner face of the neck of the bottle close to the mouth. As shown in Figure 5, this flange flares outwardly so that, when the cover is forced into place, as shown in Figure 2, the free edge of it will press outwardly against the bottle. This insures a. tight joint between the flange and the bottle so that none of the contents of the bottle are likely to get to the edge of the mouth and so work in between the threads 5 and 8.

If the contents are of a kind that tend to swell rubber, as many of the oily substances used in massage do, the swelling of the convex part 10 and of the flange 11 will tend to press the flange all the more closely against the glass and so make a still better protection against leakage. It should be noted also that this outward flare provides an air pocket 11 at the point between the outer face of the inclined flange and the inner face of the upper end of the bottle. I 'have found that this pocket takes up all the increase in the lateral expansion of the top of the cap, and at the same time the confined air prevents any possibility of the liquid Working up around the top of the bottle and thus leaking out.

The fiat part 12 of the under surface of the cover between the flange 11 and the convex part 10 affords a space which accommodates most of the inner openings of the ducts 13 although these openings encro'ach to a slight extent upon the convex part 10. The ducts 13 extend through projections 14 located in the middle part of the outer surface of the cover. These ducts taper outward and at the ends of the projections become very small perforations. The liquid contents of the bottle cannot flow freely through these ducts because of the capilary effect at the small ends. The lotion or other liquid can be worked through the ducts by manipulation of the device, but will not leak out of them even if the bottle be held inverted for considerable periods.

The outer part of the top of the cap is provided with imperforate projections 15. The projections 14: do not stand up as high as the projections 15, thus affording substantially concave points of contact adapted to more or less conform to the contour of the head. However, the difference in length ofthe projections 15 and the projections 1 1 are particularly important for the further reason that it has been found that in some cases the action of the liquid used in the container tends to expand the head and the hollow projections 14, which results in bringing the ends of the projections 14 out to a point more nearly in the same plane with the ends of the projections 15, and I have so designed the head that even Where the head and projections 14 are expanded to their maximum, the ends of the projections 14? will not project beyond the plane of the ends of the projections 15. Whenever the little mouths of the ducts 13 are brought into contact either with the skin or the hair, the oily contents of the bottle can be worked out through the ducts because said contact overcomes the effect of capillary action.

The instrument is used by grasping the bottle in the way illustrated in Figure 1 and rubbing against the scalp or other part of the subject needing 'massage. The projections 15 will serve to give the needed friction. At the same time, whatever material is to be applied to the skin comes out of the bottle through the ducts 13 and is rubbed into the subject by the massaging.

In the form of device presented in the present application, hair from the scalp is less likely to be caught between the edge of the cap and the bottle because of the tight joint afforded between the skirt 9 and the flange 6. Also, the greater resistance to bulging afforded by the shape of the cover, by keeping the mouths of the ducts 14 away from the scalp most of the time, makes them less likely to become covered or choked with dandruff or other dirt.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range Without departing from the principles of this invention. and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, areceptacle having a mouth, a closure for said receptacle having means engaging the outside thereof to secure the closure in place, and a depending comparatively narrow flange on said closure shaped to fit the inside of the mouth, said flange flaring outwardly as to both faces, and said closure and flange being of resilient material, whereby when said closure is in place the elastic force of said material forces the edge of said flange against the inside of the mouth.

2. In combination, a receptacle of rigid ROBERT H. VAN SANT. 

